PRIORITIES

THE GREEN NEW DEAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Nowhere in the U.S. has already felt the devastating impacts of climate change and pollution more than Louisiana, especially Cancer Alley and our coastal communities. My support for the Green New Deal is nothing new – I stood with organizers from the Sunrise Movement back in 2019 when I called for a Presidential climate debate. I’ll fight for a Green New Deal to protect the future of our country, hold toxic polluters responsible, and bring high-paying, clean energy jobs to the 2nd Congressional District.

As your Congresswoman, I will: 

TAKE ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND POLLUTION

  • Too many low-income families and communities of color are drowning in cancer-causing pollutants. Our response to pollution and climate change has to be rooted in the understanding that environmental and climate justice is linked to racial justice, economic justice, and health justice.
  • I will fight against the construction of the Formosa Plastics complex in St. James Parish. This is another example of environmental racism in our state and signals the need not just for environmental protection, but environmental justice.
  • I will support a federal jobs guarantee that ensures a robust public, unionized workforce who will make the Green New Deal a reality.
  • I will fight to protect the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act from industry attacks and aggressively enforce penalties to ensure we hold polluters accountable for violations.
  • I will support immediate action to reverse the Trump Administration’s dangerous and destructive rollbacks of critical climate and environmental protections. 
  • I will hold fossil fuel companies accountable for cleaning up abandoned oil and gas wells and industrial sites, so these facilities no longer pollute local environments.

BRING HIGH-PAYING, GREEN JOBS TO THE DISTRICT

  • In Louisiana, we’ve failed to realize our potential in wind, solar, and green industries. With a Green New Deal, we can build a thriving, equitable, and globally competitive clean energy economy that puts workers and communities first. Workers and communities of color endured the brunt of the effects of climate change and have been left out and left behind for generations. The Green New Deal will prioritize these groups by giving hard-hit communities priority access to new job opportunities, cost savings, pollution cleanup projects, and climate resilience initiatives.
  • I will fight for federal investments in the wind and solar industries, which will create thousands of new, high-paying green jobs and reduce our carbon footprint. 
  • NREL projects that supporting the construction and operation of a single 600 megawatt offshore wind project in the Gulf could result in approximately 4,470 construction jobs, 150 direct jobs, with a market value of $445MM during construction, and $14MM annually from operations and maintenance.


BUILD CLIMATE-RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE 

  • Our infrastructure wasn’t built for the extreme weather events that are becoming the norm due to climate change. We must take urgent action to repair our crumbling infrastructure, from water systems, to bridges, to energy and transportation. I will fight for investments to update and upgrade existing infrastructure using American-made materials to make it climate resilient, while ensuring that all new infrastructure is built to withstand climate impacts.
  • I will support investing and modernizing our freight infrastructure, including ports, rail, and maritime freight, in order to reduce air and water pollution, improve public health, create jobs, and improve economic competitiveness.

PROTECT OUR COAST

  • Thanks to rising seas, more powerful storms, and decades of oil and gas activity, Louisiana is losing the coastal wetlands and barrier islands that are a crucial part of our natural storm protection system. There’s a massive effort underway to protect and rebuild our coast, but climate change and sea level rise threatens to undo that work. Louisiana’s own Coastal Master Plan says that the key to saving our coast depends on drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the next 10-12 years. I agree with scientists and public health experts that the United States—and the world—must achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible.
  • I will support measures in the Green New Deal to achieve net-zero U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 – the urgent action we need to stop sea level rise. 
  • I will secure federal funding to adapt to sea level rise and rebuild our coastal wetlands. 
  • I will support restoring protections for irreplaceable public lands and waters, especially our natural storm protection system of wetlands and barrier islands.
  • I will advocate for federal partnerships with Louisiana and local communities to make smart investments to restore our wetlands, which are critical for protecting our coastal communities.
  • I will ensure that climate refugees – like the people of the Isle de Jean Charles in Southern Louisiana – receive substantial, recurring relocation and resettlement payments from federal and state governments. Many of these climate refugees will be Indigenous Tribes and other communities of color – it is our national duty to stand with them.

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